Creamed Greens with Lemon-Ginger Cashew Cream Sauce (dairy-free)

One of my favourite parts about spring is, of course, the joyful return of fresh, local and organic produce. From arugula to spinach to nettles, greens of all kinds are always at the top of my shopping list. Enjoy them in salads, in sandwiches, in stir-fries and even smoothies.

They are delicious fresh (and that’s often the easiest way to use them) but I also love to gently steam or cook them.

Steaming certain vegetables, especially those in the cruciferous family like kale, bok choy and broccoli, can help reduce their goitrogenic effects. This is especially beneficial for anyone with a thyroid condition because goitrogens can diminish our body’s production of thyroid hormones by blocking the thyroid’s iodine uptake.

These bright, gingery, creamy yet remarkably dairy-free greens are a fun and fresh way to get more spring greens into your diet. With this method, I am effectively “steaming” the greens, quickly in a pan, in some of their rinse water and then dressing them in a creamy dairy-free sauce.

If it seems ironic to talk about “cream” when there is actually no cream in sight in this recipe, you may be excited to discover how well cashews can offer a creamy texture and stand in for cream in many applications.

You could also toss this sauce on broccoli, bok choy or Brussels sprouts. Just make sure the vegetables are roughly the same size for an even cook, and you will need to extend the cook time to accommodate these firmer, dense veggies.

Ingredients

Instructions

Prepare the Lemon-Ginger Cashew Cream Sauce. This sauce can be made ahead of time and refrigerated.

Wash greens well and roughly chop. Add the wet (but not soaking) greens to a medium saucepan and cook over low-medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until they are bright green, stirring frequently to prevent them from sticking or burning.

Remove the saucepan from the heat, add ½ batch of the Lemon-Ginger Cashew Cream Sauce and toss to combine. The greens should be loose and creamy. If the greens are too thick, add a bit of water or stock to loosen. Serve immediately.

Lemon-Ginger Cashew Cream Sauce (dairy-free, vegan)

Ingredients

2/3cupraw cashews(soaked overnight)

11-inchpiece of ginger,chopped finely

2 ½Tbspfresh lemon juice

½tspfine sea salt

3Tbspwater or more to desired consistency

Instructions

Add all ingredients to a high-powered blender and blend until smooth. This takes about 5 minutes in my Vitamix and you may need to use a tamper. If the result is not a creamy, smooth sauce (it is still grainy) or if there isn’t enough liquid for your blender to whip the sauce smooth, you can add additional water (1 to 3 Tbsp is usually sufficient -- add one tablespoon at a time and blend after each). Note: The soak time of your cashews and/or your brand of blender will affect how much water is needed to make this sauce lusciously smooth.

Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking. You may need additional ginger or lemon juice depending on your tastes.

Recipe Notes

You can also add extra water to turn this from a thicker sauce into more of a thinner dipping sauce.

Life is a plate… Eat up,

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Ashleigh Grange

A Culinary Nutritionist and Registered Holistic Nutritionist (RHN), I'm a voracious reader who loves to develop new recipes, read and write about health and wellness, and jump on my trampoline! You can read more about me on my About page.

Nothing on this site should be interpreted or construed to mean providing medical advice, diagnosis or treatment in any way. Always see your primary care physician for that, and always consult them before embarking on any new health program, starting or changing any of your medications, or using natural products of any kind.